Like far too many native plants
these days, Spiranthes cernua odorata 'Chadds Ford', a native orchid,
was discovered just as its habitat was about to be destroyed. Dick Ryan,
an eccentric character with a passion for native orchids, found the plant
back in the 1960s in a wet ditch near his hometown of Bear, Delaware. At
the time, Bear was a rural crossroads town. Today, this former orchid habitat
is overrun by tract homes.

It didn't take long for word about
Ryan's exquisite discovery to spread. Dr. Merlin Brubacker, a plantsman
with a keen interest in tropical orchids, was smitten by this denizen of
temperate Delaware. In 1973, a division of the orchid grown by Dr. Brubacker
received the coveted Certificate of Cultural Merit from the American Orchid
Society.

Nodding Ladies Tresses

Spiranthes cernua odorata,
a fragrant form of the species commonly known as nodding ladies tresses,
is found in coastal regions of southeastern states from Virginia to Florida
and west to Texas, where it flowers from fall through winter.

Nodding ladies tresses grow to about
3 feet tall, with 3 to 6 glossy, dark greenleaves up to 8 inches long on the
lower part of the stem. Its yellowish whiteblossoms are larger than those
of the species, Spiranthes cernua, which isfound throughout eastern North
America. Like other members of the genusSpiranthes, the flowers of this
species are arranged in a twisted, spiral-shapedspike. (The name Spiranthes comes
from two Greek words, speira, meaningspiral, and anthos, meaning flower.)
Members of the species are called noddingladies tresses because of the nodding
habit of the individual florets that makeup the flower spike.

A Smell of Jasmine

One of the most distinctive features
of Spiranthes cernua odorata is its potent,sweet fragrance, often compared
to that of vanilla or jasmine. 'Chadds Ford' isa wonderful cultivar--a vigorous
grower with large, extremely fragrant flowers.Although the plant was discovered
in Delaware, it was named in honor ofChadds Ford, the town in southeast
Pennsylvania where Dr. Brubaker lived.Ever since the dawn of gardening,
orchids have had a mystique. In the wordsof botanist Welby R. Smith, who
has written an entire book on the orchids ofMinnesota alone, "Orchids are often
thought of as rare, fragile objects d'art,existing only in steamy tropical
forests or Edwardian greenhouses. In reality,nothing could be further from the
truth. Orchids occur worldwide from the arctictundra to Tierra del Fuego. They
are absent only from the driest deserts and thewettest aquatic habitats." Orchids
make up one of the largest plant familes, with725 genera and more than 20,000
species and account for some 7 to 10percent of all flowering plants
on Earth!

Nearly everyone is familiar with
the multitude of orchids from the tropics, where the majority of orchids
live. In most regions of this country, these must be grown as houseplants.
Few gardeners are aware of the surprising diversity of terrestrial orchids
native to the U.S. (As the name implies, terrestrial orchids are those
that are rooted in soil. All orchids in temperate regions are terrestrial;
most tropical orchids are epiphytic, meaning they grow on another plant--but
aren't parasitic--usually in the canopies of the tallest trees.) Some 216
species of terrestrial orchids are native to North America. Among the many
genera of native orchids are Cypripedium, the lady slippers; Isotria, the
whorled pogonias; Platanthera, the fringed orchids; Pogonia, the beard
flowers; Goodyera, the plantain orchids; Listera, the twayblade orchids;
Corallorhiza, the coral root orchids; and Tipularia, the cranefly orchids.

An Elusive Prize

Until recently, orchid lovers have
only been able to appreciate native orchids in the wild, not in the garden.
Many of these plants are slow to propagate and therefore are not readily
available from commercial sources. For decades, orchids have been dug up
from the wild by unscrupulous collectors,who have decimated entire plant
populations. This, in addition to loss of habitat to development, are themajor
threats to the long-term survival of many orchids as well as other native
species. For this reason it's important to buy native orchids only from
nurseries that are propagating them vegetatively, not collecting them from
the wild. Fortunately, in recent years, there have been great strides in
propagating even the most difficult orchids, such as the lady slipper Cypripedium
reginae, which is beingpropagated by tissue culture by Bill Steele of Spangle
Creek Labs in Washington.

Orchids are not only difficult to
propagate; they also have a reputation of being almost impossible to grow.
The most commonly accepted theory on why they're so temperamental is that
the symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi found on the root tips,
essential for the breakdown of nutrients in the soil to forms the plants
can use, is difficult to simulate in a garden setting. Spiranthes cernua
odorata 'Chadds Ford' is the exception to the rule. It's not only easy
to grow but also forms colonies quickly.

A Prodigious Beginning

In August 1992, Dr. Richard Lighty,
director of the Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Greenville,
DE, gave me a 6-inch pot of 'Chadds Ford'. I kept the plant in a moderately
heated greenhouse (45¡F). By December 30 I was able to divide out
thirty-two 2-1/2-inch pots, eighteen 4-inch pots and put the stock plant
back in its original pot.

The following spring, I transplanted
several divisions outside in the garden. By midsummer, flower buds had
begun to form. In late summer, my garden was graced with 18-inch spikes
of waxy white orchid flowers, tinged with green and scented vanilla. The
flowers persisted into late fall.

Like others of its species, 'Chadds
Ford' prefers wet feet. However, it will do perfectly well in any rich,
moisture-retentive soil, in sun or shade. Given these conditions, this
plant, which is stoloniferous, will multiply in no time at all. I highly
recommend it, even for the novice gardener.

Further Reading

If you'd like to learn more about
native orchids, take a look at the following books. Some are out of print
but can be found in any good horticultural library:

One of the most exciting things
you can do is visit a wild population of native orchids. A great place
to see them is at the Cranberry Glades in the Monongahela National Forest
in Pocahontas County, WV. Almost every state has a native plant society
that you can join and that will direct you to wild orchid populations in
your area. A list of these groups can be found in Brooklyn Botanic Garden's
Gardening with Wildflowers & Native Plants, handbook #119, available
for $6.95 plus $3.75 for shipping and handling (NY City and State residents
must include sales tax) from BBG, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1099.
You can also see native orchids at public gardens, including BBG's Local
Flora Garden, Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA, University of Wisconsin
Madison Arboretum and Berry Botanic Garden in Portland, WA.